High Court imposes life sentence for man who killed girlfriend over loyalty!

The Bombay High Court affirmed the conviction and life sentence of a 30-year-old man for the 2008 murder of his 20-year-old girlfriend in a hotel room. In its decision, the division bench of Justices PB Varale and SD Kulkarni said that the accused, Giri, murdered Samantha after suspecting her of cheating on him and then attempted suicide by inflicting injuries and then drinking poison. According to the court, the woman had 19 injuries on her body, which clearly revealed how the accused intended to kill her.

Giri had indicated that he and Samantha were good friends. They were set to tie the knot. He had no cause to murder her. Giri said that he was unfairly accused in this case at the behest of the hotel owner. According to the Assistant Public Prosecutor, Prajakta Shinde, Giri was suspicious of Samantha’s loyalties and hence committed the murder in a locked room. He had planned it, possessed the weapon, and had carried out his murderous plot, according to Shinde.

According to the court, the prosecution’s evidence unmistakably demonstrated Giri’s participation and involvement in Samantha’s murder. Giri’s allegation that he and his girlfriend were attacked by three unidentified males was also dismissed by the court, calling it a ‘bundle of bogus’ reasons. The court affirmed a May 2012 ruling of a sessions court that convicted Giri of murder and attempting suicide and condemned him to life in prison.

According to the prosecution, Samantha Fernandes and Giri were discovered in a hotel room in Rabale, Navi Mumbai, on March 20, 2008. The police hurried them to the hospital, where Samantha, who had been stabbed, was proclaimed dead on arrival. Giri, on the other hand, recovered consciousness and was subsequently arrested. While dismissing Giri’s appeal, the top court remarked that the prosecution’s evidence was ‘clear and unequivocal,’ and that the circumstances established the accused’s guilt, which was not lessened, despite the fact that no adequate proof about the purpose behind the killing was provided on the record.